Femoral compression devices for applying pressure on a patient's femoral artery after completion of an interventional procedure are known. An example of such a femoral compression device is disclosed in the patents U.S. Pat. No. 5,307,811 and EP 0 462 088, which are assigned to the present assignee. The entire contents of these documents are incorporated herein by reference for the devices, methods, and techniques disclosed therein.
A femoral compression device according to these publications comprises basically a pressurizing means for compressive bearing against a puncture site at a femoral artery of a patient, a belt adapted to be fixed around the patient's body, and a base plate supporting the pressurizing means and being provided with two extensions. In use, the pressurizing means, which in one embodiment has the form of an inflatable semi-spherical air cushion, is positioned over the femoral artery, and the belt, which extends from the end of the first extension, around the patient's body and to the end of the second extension, is tightened. To apply pressure on the femoral artery, the inflatable semi-spherical air cushion is inflated by a pump to a certain predetermined pressure, which is read from a pressure gauge.